In this first story of the series we take a moment to explain, “Just exactly what is a Po-Billy?” The boys explain it all to an unsuspecting delivery man and then continue across the yard and eventually to the heap. The heap is where all discarded parts and pieces of machinery go to await the boys imagination. The heap, the creek, and the cabin mentioned in this story are all part of our farm in Tennessee.

Excerpts

So, just what is a Po-Billy? Ask the boys and you will get the whole story and then some.

Caleb and Jeremiah, twins who look nothing alike and their little brothers Jedediah and Elijah often wear their favorite shirts which proudly display “I’m a Po-Billy.”

__________

“Hey boys, heading out to play?” He asked as he pulled in the driveway. “I like your shirts, but what’s a Po-Billy?” he added.

“I’ll tell him!” shouted Caleb. “After all, I am the oldest.” “You are not,” interrupted Jeremiah. “we’re twins, so we’re both the oldest.”

__________

The delivery man just scratched his head and said, “Ok, let me see if I get this straight. Your Dad’s Polish they call your Mom a Hillbilly, so that makes ya’ll....”

“Po-Billys!” the boys yelled.

__________

They stepped back to admire their handy work. There was no mistaking. It was a go cart!

The back wheels were larger than the front causing the rear of the cart to raise up at a angle. The large engine on the small cart gave it the look of a hot rod. The hood ornament was attached on the front and it was perfect.

__________

They all grabbed the rope and pulled to the left, leaning over so far they nearly turned over. Somehow they managed to miss the tree, but it was obvious they had to stop the cart. They quickly thought of a solution and headed for the creek.

It was a short ride from the sand pile. Especially, as fast as they were going. Within moments they had made it to the water.

They steered the cart to the highest bank they could see. As they went flying off the edge, they were airborne - for just a second - before splashing down into the cold and fortunately shallow water - to a soft but wet landing.

The Po-Billy Boys ~ Great Aunt Sue

Yes, we really do have a Great Aunt Sue, doesn’t everyone. (Names have been changed to protect my family.) When Great Aunt Sue comes for a visit she turns the Po-billy household upside down. That is until the boys turn her upside down and change Great Aunt Sue forever.

Excerpts

It didn’t take long for Great Aunt Sue to make herself at home. She started by inspecting her room and found some cobwebs in the corner, up near the ceiling. There was dust on the top edge of the mirror. And of course, the bed could have been softer.

So, .she put everyone back to work.

__________

“Be quiet, here they come.” Elijah whispered as he sat back down. He had been keeping lookout to warn everyone of Great Aunt Sue’s approach.

Everyone was perfectly still and sitting up straight as their Dad and Aunt entered the room and took their seats. Dad said the prayer and they ate supper in silence. Everyone was too busy watching Great Aunt Sue.

__________

“Do we have to leave Bull outside this week?” Jedediah asked after the dishes were done.

“Not if you give him a bath,” Mom answered, “but try to get it done before Great Aunt Sue gets back.”

__________

Suddenly the water went flying. Jedediah still had the water hose, Caleb, Jeremiah and Elijah had their buckets, and they all had the same idea. It was a water fight with one target as they all proceeded to soak Great Aunt Sue from head to toe.

Even Bull got in on the act. He got excited and started barking and jumping. On the wet slippery ground it didn’t take much for Great Aunt Sue to lose her balance and splash down in the wading pool right beside the dog.

The Po-Billy Boys ~ The Leprechaun Trap

The boys first grade teacher started this. She staged a visit from a Leprechaun while the kids were at lunch... tuning over tables and chairs. She had them convinced there were Leprechauns to be found. This story takes the boys on the hunt for a Leprechaun. It takes place on Saint Patrick’s Day. They find a shiny stone they are convinced belongs to a Leprechaun and decide to set a trap.

Excerpts

“Mom! Mom! We’ve got leprechauns!” the Po-Billy Boys shouted as they ran in the back door.

They found Mom in the kitchen making supper. It was St. Patrick’s Day and leprechaun sightings were expected, especially from four boys with good imaginations.

__________

If we catch him, we get a wish.” Caleb added, “But how do you catch a leprechaun?”.

“You set a trap!” Jeremiah answered grinning from ear to ear “And I know just how to do it!” he shouted as he ran out the door with his brothers right behind him.

__________

Slowly the boys moved ahead and surrounded the crate. They were whispering trying to decide who would lift the crate and who would grab the leprechaun. Remembering just how heavy the crate was and that it would take them all to lift it, they turned to Dad for help.

The Po-Billy Boys ~ Light’s Out

We seem to live in a area where, if the wind blows the power goes out. We have gotten pretty good at entertaining ourselves. Light’s Out, begins with a storm moving in while our family’s big dog, Bull, shows his bravery hiding under the table. The power goes out during the very active storm and we spend the night camped out around the fire roasting hot dogs and playing shadow charades. It’s not until morning everyone realizes Bull is missing.

Excerpts

There was a flash of light and a rumble in the distance. You could feel the breeze turning to wind. The dark clouds were rolling in.

__________

CRACK! CRACK! BOOM! BOOOOM!! THE HOUSE RATTLED ALL AROUND THEM AS EVERYTHING WENT DARK.

_________

“With this storm the power might be off all night,” he said while unpacking the tent, “So, why don’t we bunk down on the floor beside the fire. It’ll be warmer here than upstairs.”

__________

“Hey, where is Bull anyway?” Jeremiah asked standing up and looking around the room. There was no sign of the big dog. “Poor guy,” he continued. “he’s probably under a table or hiding somewhere. I’ll bet he doesn’t realize the storm is over.”

The Po-Billy Boys ~ The Legend Of The Old Miner’s Ghost

Mark... dad to the Po-Billy’s, is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. When we visit his family the drive north takes us past many harbor towns along Lake Michigan. The light houses inspire lots of wonderful stories. Mark’s hometown is honeycombed with old iron mines and ghost stories are common in the area. These stories of ghosts and hero’s killed in the mines are fictional. The many regional areas visited are real and traditional stops for us when we travel to see the family. We have used real family members and family names for the additional characters.

Excerpts

Talk would always turn to the telling of ghost stories and eerie sightings from the locals. One old man swore he had been saved by a ghostly ship.

__________

“We can tell stories to pass the time.” Jeremiah offered.

“Yeah, ghost stories!” They all agreed.

“This wouldn’t be a pitiful attempt to coax me into telling you about the Old Miner’s Ghost again, would it?”__________

The mine collapse had left twenty-four dead, fifteen injured and five missing or presumed dead.”

“Which one’s the ghost?” Elijah interrupted.

“They say he’s a well built man in his fifties wearing work style clothes including a old flannel shirt with a rip in the sleeve. He’s supposed to have a miner’s lamp hanging from his belt and he still wears his miner’s hard hat covered in dust.” Dad continued, “He has a big curled moustache and they say he’s always smiling.”

__________

Their older cousins startled them. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.” They laughed.

“We did,” Libby insisted, “Well, at least I did.” she continued. “It was the Old Miner’s Ghost. He won this bear for me.” __________

The horses whinnied loudly and speed off across the back field of the fairgrounds. The wagon full of screaming kids bounced along behind, picking up speed as they went. The pack of screaming adults chased the speeding wagon but were quickly left in the dust and darkness.

__________

Suddenly the horses seemed to slow. Through the fog the trucks began to catch up as well. No one could be sure what was happening until they pulled along side the wagon now slowed to a trot and

being driven by a man no one knew.

The Po-Billy Boys ~ Ghost in the Graveyard

Ghost in the Graveyard is an old version of hide and seek we played when I was a little girl. My boys still play the game and in this story they decide to play a round in the old graveyard on my dad’s farm. The graveyard does exist. The old man in the story is fictional. This story is much more fun than the ghost story it appears to be.

Excerpts

The boys settled down for a moment looking a little bored. Supper wouldn’t be ready for at least an hour and no one was ready to go inside.

Let’s play Ghost in the Graveyard!” Caleb suggested. “I’‘m still it,” he reminded his brothers.

__________

Seven noisy boys burst through the door, “Can we go to the graveyard?” they shouted all at once. “We want to play Ghost in the Graveyard.”

__________

“Take Bull along.” Mom suggested as they ran out the door. “Here’s his leash,” she offered

running after them. At nearly two-hundred pounds the big black dog would give Max something to hang onto in the dark. “Here you go Max,” she continued handing him he leash. “He makes a great guard dog.” she shouted after them. “And remember what Grandma said about Old Mr. Ray!”

__________

The old man’s house was just beyond the graveyard. The boys could see the lights on his porch. The yellow bug light cast a eerie glow across his yard.

The Po-Billy’s knew all about Old Mr. Ray but had never seen him. “Does he ever come out of his house.” Jedediah asked his cousins.

Wade nodded, “Oh sure, he’s not very friendly but Isabella’s great.”

The boys had heard all about the old man’s only companion - a little brown monkey named Isabella.

__________

They heard something - someone else was in the cemetery. Everyone turned their attention to the noise up ahead. Where was it coming from.?

It seemed to come from all over. In the trees one minute beside them the next. Suddenly, they saw it, just a glimpse at first. Then clearly up over head - it was a ghostly white figure blowing in the wind.

The Po-Billy Boy ~ Christmas Kitchen

-Recipes Included!!-

Christmas Kitchen is all about the Holidays. We spend hours baking, mixing and talking. Family favorite recipes are included in this story. The tale of the dog getting into the trunk of the car and helping himself to the pies my sister had made is true. It was actually more than one dog and it was before Bull joined our family. Many other elements of this story are true. The cat in the wedding cake and the shopping cart wreck at our local Kroger are also real life events I mention in this story.

Excerpts

Visions of pastries, candies and cookies filled their heads as the Po-Billy Boys waited patiently with their parents in the check out line.

Grabbing the carts they raced for the door. The automatic door was still moving as Elijah sped through the opening catching the edge of the door. With a loud thud the door stopped suddenly as it came off track blocking the entrance.

__________

The kitchen was beginning to look like a candy factory.

Canisters were piled high with Chocolate Haystacks and the entire family sat around the large kitchen table rolling mounds of peanut butter candy into small bite size pieces.

__________

“Remind me again,” Mom asked returning to the table with bowls of melted chocolate. “why we are doing this now and not in the morning?”

“You’ll never forget this. Staying up all night with your favorite guys. Watching movies until the sun rises.”

“You may see the sun rise but the last time I cooked all night I swore that would be the last.”

“I remember that night.” Jeremiah offered, “You and Aunt Ladonna had to remake all those pies. It was all Bull’s fault.” Bull, the family pet, is a large black dog that tips the scales at nearly 200 pounds.

“When we went outside Bull was standing in the trunk!” Jeremiah added with a laugh. “He was

covered in pie. He even had an empty pie pan stuck to the side of his head!”

The Po-Billy Boys ~ Christmas Magic

This story is intended for older children and adults past the age of believing. Please do not share this story with young children.

When the older boys began to ask the inevitable questions about Santa Claus I couldn’t bear to coldly tell them he didn’t exist. I began to research the origins of Santa and found out he did exist years ago. I took bits of history, mixed with a little illusion and came up with ‘Christmas Magic.’

Excerpts

Buster Bartholomew was late as usual and arrived just moments before the bus was ready to leave. The seat behind Caleb and Jeremiah just happened to be empty and Buster smacked the boys in the head as he took his seat.

You babies don’t still believe in Santa Claus do you? Think about it, one guy who flies all over the world in one night, knows exactly what every kid wants and brings it all down the chimney.” he continued with a laugh. “Besides I saw my mom and dad putting everything out when I was a little kid. Caught them red handed. They told me it was all a big scam. None of it’s real.” he finished with a smirk. __________

Jeremiah took a deep breathe and blurted out the answer. “He said Santa Claus is a big scam, that everyone’s lying.”

Mom and Dad just sat there a moment not sure of what to say next.

“He’s the one lying, right dad?” Caleb asked hopefully.

__________

“The magic of Christmas is a beautiful illusion that reminds us to stop and enjoy our families, and to give of ourselves to others.” Dad joined in. “The real chore is keeping that magic alive throughout the year.”

“And the best part, now you become one of the magicians.” Dad added, “It’s your job to help create the illusion for others. You get to help keep the illusion alive for your little brothers and your friends.”

The week before Christmas was always full of last minute details. Dad was an official Santa’s helper and Caleb and Jeremiah, now junior helpers went along to help hand out toys at the Family Shelter and Children’s Home.

__________

“I see you met Sam. They don’t have much and I guess he’s stopped expecting very much as well."

Additional titles in production include:

Dinner on the Grounds ~ What happens when the Po-Billy’s take part in an old fashioned Dinner on the Grounds of their Church? One game of chase lands one of the boys in the Church Baptistry.

Water! Water! Everywhere ~ the Po-Billy house is flooded when pipes freeze and break. The boys were concerned about the faucet dad had left dripping and didn’t want to waste water. They turned off the water and dropped the thermostat on the coldest weekend of the year just as the family left town.

Red Neck Water Park ~ Our family has an annual pie fight which includes a large tarp on the hill in front of the house... a couple of water hoses, lots of water balloons, water guns and pies.... oh yes and a bath in the creek that runs through the yard when we finish. All true. Easiest story I have ever written.

Here Kitty... Kitty... ~ Our farm is a constant source of stray cats that wander up and are just wild enough that you really can’t get near them. They will often have kittens that the boys love to tear the barn apart trying to find. Once they were looking for a new batch of kittens and cornered a Bobcat. I think you see where we are going with this story.

Things that Go Bump in the Night ~ the boys set a trap for what they are sure is a intruder. They see the door shake as someone bangs on it from outside. When the police are finally called, It’s the cat trapped outside between the entry door and the screen door. Yep, it happened.

Head em up...Move em Out ~ When a livestock trailer overturns on the interstate the Po-Billy’s pitch in to capture the cows wandering the roadside and the interstate. Remember, Mom’s a Traffic Reporter. ‘When don’t we have livestock wandering the roadside in Nashville.’ We have had several episodes when livestock trucks have overturned and our police officers become cowboys.

Fire Flies ~ A story about the luck you catch with the first fire flies of summer. Of course when you bring over one-hundred into the house you need to make sure you close the lid.

Snowday ~ The kids stay home if the roads get just a dusting. What happens when we get a real snow storm? What doesn’t? Throw in a little ice and there’s the time we were without power for a week. That was fun, and fun to tell.

Mud! ~ My dad recently built a bridge across a creek on his farm. During the construction the site became the biggest mud pit you have ever seen. The kids made good use of it. It was a kiddy mud pack spa complete with mud slide. They all became creatures from the mud lagoon.

Black Eyed Peas ~ Black eyed peas are considered good luck in the south when eaten on New Years Day. Anyone who eats them will have money in the year to come. This is a New Year’s story about our traditions for the beginning of a new year.